Fernando D'Alessio, a retired vice admiral of the Peruvian Navy and founder of Centrum PUCP, died on Sunday, August 2, in Lima. He was 82.
D'Alessio served as Peru's health minister between September 2017 and January 2018. He also held the education portfolio during the government of Manuel Merino in 2020.
Founding of Centrum PUCP
D'Alessio founded Centrum PUCP in 1999 alongside Salomon Lerner Febres, then rector of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. He became the business school's first director general, a post he held until 2017. Under his leadership, the institution earned three international accreditations and appeared among the top global rankings for postgraduate business education.
Naval career and education
Before his academic career, D'Alessio served in the Peruvian Navy, rising to the position of Commander General of Naval Operations. He trained at the Escuela Naval del Peru, where he received the Sword of Honor, and later earned a master's degree in business administration from Salve Regina University in Rhode Island, in the United States.
Published works and tributes
D'Alessio also wrote several reference books on management and strategy, including El proceso estrategico: un enfoque de gerencia and Liderazgo y atributos gerenciales: una vision global y estrategica, both still used in universities across Latin America.
Ruben Guevara, the current director general of Centrum PUCP, said everything the school is today carries D'Alessio's signature and his mark. Guevara added that the academic community was receiving his legacy with gratitude and a commitment to honor him.
